Jerry Rice Interview

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Legend talks All-Pro Football 2K8, Calvin Johnson, and who he'd pick for one game, Montana or Young.

By Jon Robinson

I'm on a plane headed back to San Francisco and it's one of those uneasy times when I'm waiting in line at the bathroom, we hit a little turbulence, and the seatbelt "ding" keeps going off over the loudspeaker. All I want to do is get in the stall before the stewardess sends me back to my seat when I get a tap on the shoulder. "Hey man, can I ask you a question," the voice says. I turn around expecting someone from United to ask me if I noticed the seatbelt sign or if I wanted another bag of peanuts, but as I double take my turnaround I realize the person talking to me is Jerry Rice.

That's right, the greatest of all time, the man my 49er-obsessed dad prays to every Sunday.

"What jersey are you wearing?" Rice asks. At this point, I forget everything and have to look down to even remember the Colorado Avalanche uni I threw on before rushing to the airport. "I've never seen that one before," he says with a big smile. "I'm going to buy one when we land."

He shakes my hand (always better when this happens before either one of us goes to the bathroom), waits behind me in line, and the rest of the flight that surreal moment is really all I could think about. It was more than 10 years ago, back when he was still trying to help the Niners win rings, but it's something that has always stuck out in my mind.

Flash forward to today in San Francisco. Jerry Rice is the new spokesman for All-Pro Football 2K8, a new legends game featuring everyone from Sweetness to John Elway, and Rice is wearing one of those rings he helped win back in the day. Back when he was running things in the Bay. Back when his one question about my jersey really sparked an interest I already had about talking to athletes and writing quirky stories about their lives.

"Super Bowl 23 against the Cincinnati Bengals," Rice says proudly when I point to the ultimate bling hanging from a chain around his neck. "Montana came into the huddle, he was pulling grass, Harris Barton says something about John Candy being in the stands&#Array;that's the story of the last drive, but I didn't hear any of it. I was so focused, man, we broke that huddle and it was complete quietness. Could not hear anything. Everything went quiet and we were able to move that ball all the way downfield and win the game. Just amazing. When John Taylor made that final catch, that's when I heard the cheers. That final drive, I was in such a zone, and you hear players talk about the zone, and it's amazing. It happens. You're so locked in and you know how important every play is. We practiced that two minute drill once a week, always on Thursdays. When everybody is tired, that's when we practiced, that's when you have to focus. So we knew we could do it. We knew that to win the game, we could not afford any mistakes. That's when I locked in the zone."

And that Super Bowl zone is just one of the aspects that make Rice a legend. A player who Visual Concepts president Greg Thomas says was the first player they wanted for their new game. The athlete that sets the standard, not only for the other legends, but for the gameplay to live up to.

"If I have one game to win," I ask Rice, "who is my quarterback, Montana or Young?"

"To have two legends like that, you would have to split them in half," Rice says diplomatically before thinking it over again and giving me a real answer. "To be honest with you, I'd have to say Montana," he laughs. "I'm not saying Steve Young couldn't get the job done, but Montana and I had a chemistry that was unbelievable. When I first came into the league he told me I added five years to his career, and I just think we complimented each other very well and were able to do some amazing things out on the football field."

Funny thing is, if Rice had to pick one quarterback in 2K8, his QB wouldn't be Montana or Young. Rice wants to play with John Elway. As soon as he says this, his phone starts buzzing on his belt, almost like Montana could sense a betrayal brewing, even if it is virtual.

Sadly, it wasn't Joe on the phone, but Rice continued to pick his dream team. Walter Payton, Earl Campbell, Todd Christensen (who Rice says had the best hands in the NFL), Anthony Carter, Drew Pearson, Jim Otto (for that Raider mystique), Reggie White (because he could knock anyone on their butt), Dick Butkus, Ronnie Lott, and Mike Singletary (because that "look in his eyes will scare you") made the list. Gamers will have over 240 to choose from when building their "dream teams", teams that will be drafted to include both legends and fictional players.

A way for legends like Jerry Rice to live on and continue their legacies to a new generation of football fans who might know the names, but don't know the tight games these older cats strutted the gridiron with in their primes.

"I was just a small boy from Mississippi, and now little kids are going to identify with me through this game."

But will kids see him as The Greatest of All Time?

"You never really want to say that out loud," Rice laughs, "but yeah! Hey, I'm still alive, remember me? I'm still breathing! To be in this videogame is a lot of fun for me and to be compared to the different legends in the game, it's almost like one of those things where you have to pinch yourself. The things that are happening to me are unbelievable. I'm actually busier right now than when I played football. This is almost like I'm coming back out of retirement. It will be fun to see myself in the game."

A game that portrays Rice from the Breathe Right strip on his nose to the "rat-a-tat-tat" footsteps on the sidelines. That's what Signature Styles is all about, and capturing that style of each legend is sure to bring back memories.

Memories of Rice making the one-hand catch on the sidelines. Memories of the former 49er scoring so much, he could've had his mail forwarded to the end zone. Memories of a tireless work ethic that made a potential star a superstar then turned that superstar into a champion.

"My work ethic came from my parents and my fear of failure. I came from a small, predominantly black school and I didn't want to let them down. I didn't want to let Bill Walsh or my father down," says Rice. "That's the drive that kept pushing me. If I had a season with over 1,500 yards, over 80 catches, 17 touchdowns, I felt I needed to come back the next season and prove myself all over again. I never felt complacent. I kept working and I think that's why I'm really affiliated with this game. When you play this game you're going to see some spectacular catches out on the football field and that's what it's all about. But in real life, those spectacular catches don't come out of nowhere. That happens during practice, it doesn't just happen during the game. Repetition-wise, you do this over and over during practice, then on that given Sunday when it happens you have fans going 'Wow! Did you see that?' It happens all week during practice. You have to practice the way you're going to play on Sunday. You can't just turn it on and off. Preparation is everything."

And it's that preparation that made Rice one of the most beloved athletes in the Bay Area. A man who set records some say will never be equaled. But to Rice, records are made to be broken.

"You got a phenom like Calvin Johnson, a freak of nature. He can run a 4.3, he's 6-4, about 240, and that's amazing. The records can be broken, but whoever is going to take these one, whether it's Calvin or someone else, they are going to have to sacrifice, they are going to have to work their butt off to try and make it. Until then, you'll just have to settle for me in this game. Just make sure you draft me with your first pick. From what I've heard, I'm the most dominant player in the game, and that's just the way I like it."